Sleeping With The Fishes
by Lady Dudley
Summary: Michael has to break some sad news to his youngest son. (Not a tearjerker.)


**A/N: I was watching _The Cosby Show_ again today and was inspired by the episode 'Goodbye Mr. Fish,' which was nice in a way because I've been wanting to write something for _Taggart_ again. Anyways, most of the dialogue at the start of this comes from the episode - hope you like!****  
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**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

_**Sleeping With The Fishes**_

Michael could hardly believe his good luck as he came home to find the house quiet and the lounge room empty. He barely paused to remove his shoes before he settled down on the couch, closing his eyes as he snuggled gratefully into the cushion.

"Dad?"

Michael squeezed his eyes shut, willing the voice to disappear.

"Da-ad?" someone poked his leg, "Daddy? Are you awake?"

Michael slowly opened an eye to glare at Katrina, "This had better be important."

"It is," she told him.

"How important?"

"An eight."

"Is it a child's eight or an adult's eight?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, I've never been an adult."

Michael regarded her for a long moment, "Katie, I've just spent eighteen hours at the station. I have to be back there in less than six. I am very, very tired." He paused to make sure she was still listening, "If this isn't important than I am going to be very, _very_ angry."

Katrina sighed, "Well, now I don't know what to do. If I tell you and it's not important, you'll be angry with me. If I don't tell you and it's important, you'll _still_ be angry with me." She sat on the armrest of the couch with a sigh, "Why did I even come downstairs?"

Michael reminded himself to stay calm, "Katie, just tell me."

"Andrew's upstairs."

"There had better be more," he warned her.

"There is," she assured him, "you know his pet goldfish 'Patrick'? The one you bought him because he ate all his peas?"

"Yes."

"Now don't think I'm complaining that I eat all my peas and you don't buy me a thing," she continued.

Michael raised an eyebrow, "Is this about buying you something?"

"No, it's about Patrick."

"What about him?"

"He's dead."

Michael rubbed his eyes, "I'm sorry," he said finally, settling back down against the cushion.

"Daddy, Andrew doesn't know it yet," she told him, giving his leg a bit of a shake.

Michael sighed, "Are you sure he's dead?"

Katrina gave him the look, "Are fish supposed to float upside down?"

"And Andrew doesn't know it yet?" he clarified.

"He's feeding him."

"And he's not eating?"

Katrina stood up, "Da-ad."

Michael sighed again, "All right, all right," he said as he got stiffly to his feet and followed her out of the room.

Jackie popped her head out of the kitchen as they walked passed, "I didn't know you were home."

"Hello," Michael greeted her as he backtracked to kiss her cheek.

"Where are you going?" Jackie asked as Katrina came over to join them.

"Andrew's goldfish died," Katrina explained, "Daddy's going to tell him."

"I see," Jackie glanced at Michael, "are you sure you want to do this?"

"Daddy tells people someone has died all the time," Katrina said before Michael could comment.

Michael put his arm around Katrina's shoulders and put his hand over her mouth, "I'll be fine," he assured Jackie, giving her another kiss on the cheek and leading Katrina away.

"Just remember he's only four," Jackie called after him.

Michael gave her a brief wave of acknowledgement with his free hand as he and Katrina started up the stairs. They stopped outside the door to Andrew's bedroom and Michael suppressed a grimace as he watched Andrew blithely sprinkling fish food into the bowl.

"Daddy you're home," Andrew greeted him brightly running across the room.

"Hey," Michael greeted him as he picked him up, "how are you doing?"

"Good, I was just feeding Patrick," Andrew replied cheerfully.

Michael shared a look with Katrina as he carried Andrew over to the fish bowl and looked in. Sure enough, Patrick was floating on his back; Michael gave the bowl a little shake but the fish didn't move.

Suppressing a sigh, he carried Andrew over to his bed and sat down, placing the small boy on his lap as he did so. "Andrew, I have some sad news," Michael told him seriously, "I'm afraid Patrick has gone."

Andrew gave him a confused look, "No he hasn't," he replied, hopping off Michael's lap and running back over to the fish bowl, "he's right there," he added, pointing at the dead fish.

"Well, yes," Michael conceded as he came to kneel next to him, "and no," he continued, tapping the bowl in a last attempt to make sure Patrick really was dead.

He was.

"You see goldfish aren't very strong and sometimes they just stop…doing things," he paused, "forever." He looked at Andrew, "Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"What did I say?"

"I don't know," Andrew replied with a shrug as he returned to sit on the bed.

Katrina, who had been watching the exchange from the doorway, shook her head, "Let me try, Dad," she said, stepping into the room.

"Go ahead," Michael told her as he got to his feet, watching as Katrina came to sit next to Andrew on the bed.

"What Dad is trying to say is that Patrick is decreased," Katrina told him seriously.

"Close," Michael told her, "deceased."

Katrina nodded, "Oh."

"What does that mean?" Andrew asked, looking up at Michael.

"Dead," Michael said quietly, joining them on the bed.

"What's dead?"

"Your goldfish," Katrina said helpfully.

"But he's still with us," Michael said, shooting Katrina a meaningful look.

"Oh, right," Katrina agreed.

"Even though he's gone?" Andrew asked in a small voice, looking a little confused.

"Even though he's gone," Michael agreed, putting his arm around his shoulders.

Andrew bowed his head, "Oh."

"Do you want me to flush him?" Katrina asked.

Michael gave her an exasperated look, "No."

"Daddy?" Michael looked back down at Andrew, "Where will Patrick go?"

"Heaven."

Andrew didn't look convinced, "Where will he go really?"

"The river," Katrina replied.

Andrew looked confused, "The river?"

"When we flush him down the toilet," Katrina explained, Michael pinched the bridge of his nose.

Andrew looked shocked, "The toilet? Why are we flushing him down the toilet?" Andrew asked, looking anxiously at Michael, "Shouldn't he be buried?"

"That's a good idea," Michael said before Katrina could comment, "we'll bury him in the garden, why don't you and your sister go find a box?"

"Ok," they agreed, climbing off the bed and disappearing.

Michael tiredly ran a hand across his face, "Not so easy with a goldfish, huh?" Jackie asked, coming into the room.

"It's never easy," Michael replied, stifling a yawn.

"Well, I think you handled it very well," she told him, coming to stand by the bed and wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"Thank you," he said, giving her a tired smile as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Especially considering the backup you had," she teased as she allowed him to pull her closer and rest his head on her stomach.

Michael laughed, "Sensitivity isn't really her strong point is it?"

"She'll learn," Jackie said with a smile, kissing the top of his head, "why don't you get some rest, I'll handle the funeral arrangements."

"You mean we can't just stay like this?" he asked, closing his eyes.

Jackie smirked, "No, I'm sorry."

Michael gave an exaggerated groan of disappointment as she gently untangled herself from his grasp. "Come on," she ordered, taking both of his hands and pulling him off the bed.

Michael dutifully followed her into their bedroom and flopped, face down on the bed. Jackie paused in the doorway to look back at him, amused that in the short amount of time it had taken her to cross the room he'd fallen asleep.

A sound from downstairs reminded her that she still had a fish funeral to arrange and she stook a steadying breath. "Sweet dreams, Michael," she whispered, closing the door quietly behind her and heading downstairs.


End file.
